The present application is related to co-pending U.S. patent applications entitled ELECTRONIC MEDIA FOR COMMUNICATING INFORMATION AMONG A GROUP OF PARTICIPANTS (patent pending), filed on the same day as the present application, application Ser. No. 09/427,378, invented by Hanson, Miller and Axe; and METHOD FOR COMMUNICATING INFORMATION AMONG A GROUP OF PARTICIPANTS, filed on the same day as the present application, application Ser. No. 09/427,152, invented by Hanson, Miller and Axe; and such applications are incorporated by reference herein as if fully set forth herein.
1. Technical Field
The present invention relates generally to communication networks, and more particularly, to a system and method for communicating information among a group of participants connected to such networks using a dynamic distribution of data.
2. Background of the Invention
Many applications are known that can be implemented to promote communication among members or participants in a group. For example, bulletin boards, news groups, and scheduling programs (e.g. Lotus Notes) each offer thread management and archiving functions for public and private consumption. Several of these applications can be accessed via computer networks, such as the Internet.
Each of these applications suffers from certain drawbacks. One such drawback is that most group applications require a user to locate the application by browsing the World Wide Web (xe2x80x9cWebxe2x80x9d), accessing a Universal Record Locator (xe2x80x9cURLxe2x80x9d), or other proprietary means. Consequently, the user must either have prior knowledge of the specific URL or navigate the Web. In the case of Web navigation, the member may access unwanted links to other web sites, when searching for the desired application. This tends to frustrate and confuse the member.
Another drawback to known application systems is that a member is required to use a proprietary client-server system. For example, to schedule a conference having many members using Lotus Notes or Outlook Exchange, each member of the group must be configured to use the specified client-server system. This is unduly burdensome and potentially expensive to the members of the group.
Group applications, such as a poll located on the Web, are also often unstructured. To accumulate answers to a poll, the question can be posted on a web site for members in the group to access and answer. However, any computer user with a web browser that can access the web site containing the question may also answer. In this way, unwanted answers are submitted, and the poll results tend to be inaccurate. Participation by unwanted users can be limited by implementing a security mechanism. Typically, this requires a member to complete tedious surveys, cumbersome biographical forms and annoying questionnaires, and also input possible confidential information.
Some applications can be integrated with Internet electronic mail (xe2x80x9ce-mailxe2x80x9d) to also restrict the number of users to only specified recipients of the e-mail messages. However, current e-mail systems have several drawbacks. Known e-mail systems can only support static content messages. This means that the content of the e-mail message may become stale or outdated as members of the group consider the message and respond.
Using current e-mail systems, the user is also faced with the daunting task of sorting messages accumulated from group members. Once gathered together, the user must sift through the text of these messages, which is often duplicated. Additionally, content embedded in an e-mail, such as an attached file, is unnecessarily duplicated and stored on a number of mail servers. This wastes bandwidth and can cause bottlenecks in the network.
In general, the present invention is directed to a system for communicating information or collaborating among a group of participants in a group. The system includes a server that is configured to dynamically asynchronously update or retrieve dynamic content in an electronic medium that is served to selected participants in the group. The dynamic content of the electronic medium may be updated or dynamically retrieved based on input from any of the participants or from a variety of external sources. In this way, the dynamic content of the electronic medium is current when read by any of the participants in the group.
Accordingly, in one aspect, the present invention is directed to a network system for communicating information among participants of a group that includes a server having an associated database and adapted to be used in the network. The server may generate and send an electronic message to selected participants, and the server may generate and send an electronic medium stored in the database in response to a first open action of the electronic message by at least one of the selected participants. The electronic medium may include dynamic content. An interface in the electronic medium may be used to communicate input from the selected participants in the server, and logic in communication with the database may be used to asynchronously dynamically update and retrieve the dynamic content of the electronic medium stored in the database in response to input from the selected participants or an external source in data communication with the server.
Implementations of the invention may include one or more of the following. The database may include a plurality of variables associated with each of the participants, the electronic message, or the electronic medium. The server may be configured to support a variety of electronic mail protocols and a plurality of image construction languages. The network system may also be adapted to support an Internet protocol. The electronic medium may be parsed to access the dynamic content. The server may be configured to send a then current content of the electronic medium from the database in response to a second open action. The database may include a plurality of electronic forms that may be used to initiate the generation of the electronic message. The electronic form may include a region to enter a plurality of network addresses associated with any of the recipients receiving the electronic message. The network addresses may be accepted from a peripheral device. The updated dynamic content may be displayed in response to parsing the electronic message after the dynamic content is updated by the logic. The updated dynamic content may be enabled using a virtual image identifier that includes logic that maps the virtual image identifier to the dynamic content in the server. The updated dynamic content may be displayed using a tag associated with the Universal Record Locator of a web page stored in the server. The tag may include an IFRAME or an ILAYER tag. The dynamic content may include video content, audio content, binary content, text, executable content, or images. The dynamic content may be updated and retrieved dynamically asynchronously relative to the input from selected participants or from the external source in data communication with the server. The updated dynamic content may be current when accessed or retrieved from the server. The electronic message may include a code to identify a plurality of content-types.
In another aspect, the present invention is directed to a network system for supporting communication amongst participants of group including a server adapted to a network. A plurality of resources in the server are configured to generate an electronic medium in response to a first messaging action by one of the participants. Logic coupled to selected ones of the resources are configured for asynchronously dynamically updating content in the electronic medium in response to a second messaging action.
The details of one or more embodiments of the invention are set forth in the accompanying drawings and the description below. Other features, objects, and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the description and drawings, and from the claims.